New materialism is an academic trend that emerged in the 1990s, along with object-oriented philosophy and return to material objects research, which advocates a new perspective for understanding human- land relations and social and cultural practices based on broad symmetry and ontological reconstruction. Facing the challenge of today's multimaterial world and the demand for continuous optimization of cultural research, new materialism has become a new concept for cultural narratives advocating the coexistence of all things in the world. At present, research on new materialism in the field of geography mainly focuses on introducing and reviewing academic progress in this area, while research on its connotations, development, evolution, and other aspects is not systematic enough. Some members of the academic community believe that new materialism denies the laws of human social and historical development and represents an ideological trend toward anthropocentrism and idealism. This inevitably leads to doubts and even confusion about the theoretical temperament of new materialism. In addition, some people worry that paying attention to object- oriented philosophy, as advocated by the new materialism, will lead to a repetition of the theoretical mistakes of earlier geographical/environmental determinism. How to understand the theoretical connotations of new materialism deeply, how to view the contemporary development of new materialism objectively, how to exert the value- added effect of new materialism reasonably, and how to guide research on and the practice of new materialism in cultural geography have become important scientific issues that need to be clarified in the academic community. This study examines the actual background to the emergence of new materialism and the problems of matter/discourse in poststructuralism as well as the theoretical foundations on which new materialism was established. In addition, the cognitive turn and research orientation of new materialism in cultural geography are examined, focusing on three aspects of reseach in cultural geography: tracking and experiencing the spatial and local operation of material; the interaction between material space and the production of social and cultural significance; and the co- creation by human and non- human beings of the geographical environment and ecological order. At the same time, in terms of the differences between the practical subject and its dynamic force, this paper responds to the question raised by the academic community about the relevance of new materialism and traditional historical materialism. Based on an analysis of the development and evolution of geographical/environmental determinism, it is clarified that the new materialism paradigm in cultural geography does not represent a return to traditional theory but rather a transcendence of the times. New materialism will continue to improve and become more mature. This study highlights the fact that China is currently seeing a great deal of research and practice requiring the involvement of new materialism. Properly understanding and absorbing the reasonable elements of the theory of new materialism is beneficial for bridging the gap between natural and human geography and is also conducive to innovation and promotion of the rapid development of cultural geography and even geography in China. © 2023 Science Press. All rights reserved.
